History
The breed was named Messara because the largest population of the breed was located in the plains of Messara in the prefecture of Heraklion in the island of Crete. As with the Penia breed, the Messara is characterized by its ability to pace. Most likely, the Messara breed arose in the same period and under the same circumstances, as the Penia breed.
The Messara horse was and is the pride and jewel of every household and it was highly valued by its owner. The Messara horse held a prominent position in Cretan society. Decorated, the Messara horses participated in most social functions of the island’s residents such as weddings, festivals, races and other social gatherings. At the same time it was an outstanding animal which was used for horse riding, transport and many agricultural tasks.
Morphological Traits
The Messara horse stands at 132-142 cm tall. The head is well-proportioned, expressive and masculine. The neck is muscular and the dorsal line is straight, the hindquarters are well developed and the thighs muscular. The mane is thick and the tail is long, although some owners have the bad habit of cutting the last vertebra of the tail for cosmetic reasons. The legs are slender with strong joints. A characteristic of the Messara breed, as of most pace horses, is that they are post legged.
The common colours are black, bay and grey. There are no white markings on the body, while a star on the forehead is extremely rare. The Messara horse has a lively temperament, is very hardy and abstemious.
Use
Nowadays the Messara horse is seldom used for farm work and transport. On the contrary, it is widely used in pacer horse races which take place in many locations throughout Crete.
Population
According to data from the Center of Animal Genetic Resources (2019), the breed population has been reduced to 112 individuals (69 females and 43 males). However, the actual population size is larger.
The purebred Messara horses are estimated to be approximately 200. The population of the breed is classified as ‘Critical’ .
